


A Light Across the Horizon

by MasterofMages



Category: K-pop, The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst (here and there), Character Death (Will make more sense near end as to what I mean), Eventual Romance, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of NCT as Minor Characters, Multi, Mystery, Outcasts and Isolation from Society, Platonic Romance, Romantic Comedy (kinda?), lighthouse au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-08-04 03:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16339355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterofMages/pseuds/MasterofMages
Summary: Jacob has never really felt as though he belonged. For the past few years since he graduated high school and moved to Korea, he had been living with his brother trying to figure out what he wants out of life. He dabbled in many things, but none of them really stuck. Except for singing and writing, but he was in a bit of a slump.One day Jacob makes a spontanious decision to take a trip, he decides to go on a small boating expedition off the shores of Korea. Unfortunately for him, he ends up lost, and washes up on shore, unconscious.When he regains consciousness, he finds himself in the home of a handsome young male who is the head of a small village. The head of the village spends the next week taking care of Jacob till he is back on his feet, and allows Jacob to live with him as Jacob tries to find a way back to his home, to his brother.This is a story of Jacob’s adventures with the villagers, and how he seems to connect with all of them more than he has ever connected with anyone before. Perhaps this is where he belongs?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, this is my first fanfic. for The Boyz, so please bear with me. I do apologize in advance for any grammatical mistakes I may have.
> 
> Most of this will be in Jacob’s POV, but I will have some from the POV of the rest of The Boyz. Assume it to be in Jacob’s POV unless otherwize specified.
> 
> I also apologize if things are a tad confusing in the beginning, it should all start to make more sense towards the ending.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this, feedback, comments, any form of support is always appreciated.
> 
> (Just a note, I will italicise both written words, as well as thoughts, it shouldn’t be too confusing as to which is which. If it is, let me know and I’ll reformat fot better clarity)
> 
> Enjoy!

** Sangyeon **

* * *

  

_ I have something to tell you. _

 

_ I live in a small village, located at least weeks journey away from the nearest town. _

 

_ We, the villagers and I, like to refer to ourselves as Lost Boyz. We ended up together in our village because we were all tired of what society had to offer. Rather we hated what society forced upon us. _

 

_ Everything started with just me. I had a mission, I wanted to find myself, and a place where I belonged. Along the way I met two of my closest friends, and we set off together. _

 

_ We eventually came across this small, old fishing village that had long since been abandoned. It was here that we settled, our new home. I chose the lighthouse that sat a short walk just outside the village as my home, my friends choose theirs, and together we rebuilt the village. _

 

_ Overtime we grew more and more independent, we learned how to survive without any reliance on the outside world. _

 

_ In those years we also grew in number, each one of us escaping society, the outside world. _

 

_ For many years the eleven of us lived in peace, till that terrible day… _

 

_ We built this place with our hands, and our hearts, because of that we are bound to it. Even in death. _

 

_ Though our days are now peaceful again, I feel as though something is missing… _

_ I know the boyz feel it too, they’ve told me so. _

 

_ I do hope we can find what belongs in this metaphorical hole that we all feel, god knows we need it… _


	2. A New Job, A New Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the first chapter was more of an introduction... this one is an actual, proper first chapter.
> 
> Feedback, comments, kudos, and the like are always appreciated!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

** Jacob **

* * *

 

Warm sunlight flitted through the curtains, the beam of sunlight resting just on Jacob’s face. How inconvenient. Jacob really didn’t want to get out of bed, it wasn’t like he had anything to do today, other than listen his brother, Charlie nag at him again like he does almost every day. It was always the same lecture. 

 

“Get another job, or go back to school. Please, do something Jacob… I hate seeing you like this.” Charlie would always say something along those lines. Jacob never really listened, it wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to do those things, nothing just seemed to work out for him.

 

Jacob heaves himself out of bed, might as well check his emails. He applied for a few part time jobs a couple of days ago, most of them he had little to no interest in, but he needed the money. There was one that piqued his interest, something to do with working on a boat, but Jacob was pretty sure he wouldn’t get it, he didn’t meet all of the qualifications, but he applied anyways.

 

He grabs his laptop off of his desk, and throws himself back onto his bed, resting on his stomach, using his elbows to prop himself up.

 

He types in his password, and opens his email account.

 

A few of the places he applied to had sent emails, he starts at the bottom and works his way up. They were all apologetic rejection emails, Jacob lets out a sigh, he’ll just have to search again.

 

“Ping!”

 

Jacob jumps as his laptop lets out a sound, notifying him of a new email.

 

He goes to open it, but stops when he notices that it is from the boating place.

 

“I didn’t think they’d even reply…” Jacob mumbles to himself.

 

He clicks on the email and reads it’s contents.

 

“ _ Dear Bae Joonyoung-ssi, _

 

_ After reviewing your application to our company, we are excited to invite you to the next step on the path to becoming an employee with us. _

 

_ Your interview will be more of a formality, as we would like to be sure you have the information you will require before your first day. _

 

_ Please let us know of your availability for the interview as soon as possible. _

 

_ Thank you for your application to NCT Project 2018. _

 

_ Regards, _

_ Lee Taeyong, Project Leader of NCT 2018  and Captain of the NCT-Voyager.” _

 

Jacob is surprised, he really did not expect to hear back from the boating project, now he is even more shocked that he has been basically hired.

 

He quickly writes his reply accepting the position, and asks if they could meet this afternoon to discuss his role, and other details regarding the position.

 

Well, now his brother can’t nag him too much, he basically has a job now.

 

Jacob hoists himself off his bed, he can go eat some food without being nagged, perfect. He places his laptop back on the desk, making sure to plug it in, and exits his room.

 

“Morning.” He greets his Charlie as he reaches the kitchen of their apartment (it is technically his brothers, but Jacob has lived here long enough that he considers it a second home).

 

“You seem in a good mood.” Charlie comments from his seat at the table, stuffing his face with a mouthful of rice.

 

“Yeah.” Jacob nods, he notices that Charlie is eating a proper Korean breakfast, that means that Jisoo, his brothers girlfriend must be here, “Is Jisoo Noona here?”

 

“Yep.” His brother smiles at him, Jacob takes a seat in front of his brother, “She’ll be back in a second, she made enough for the three of us.”

 

“You really don’t deserve Noona.” Jacob teases Charlie.

 

“I know.” Charlie laughs, he then leans closer to Jacob, lowering his voice to a whisper, “Regardless, I’m gonna do it tonight.”

 

“You’re finally proposing!?” Jacob exclaimed in a whisper, “Took you long enough!”

 

“I’ll text you when she replies.” Charlie says, now speaking at a normal volume.

 

“Replies to what?” Jisoo must’ve just reentered the kitchen.

 

“Oh, Morning Noona.” Jacob smiles at her, “Just talking about Mum, Charlie sent her an email, but she hasn’t replied yet.” He quickly fibs to save his brother.

 

“Alright.” Jisoo doesn’t press the matter, “I made breakfast, you want some?”

 

“Yes, please.”

 

Jisoo grabs a two bowls and fill them with rice, handing one to Jacob. The three of them quietly finish eating.

 

“So, any luck with those jobs you applied for?” Charlie asks, grabbing everyone's dishes and taking them to the sink.

 

“Yes, actually.”

 

“Really? Do tell.” Charlie’s eyes seem to brighten as he looks at Jacob.

 

“Yeah, I just got an email this morning from the boating place, they want to interview me asap. They told me I was basically hired, but wanted to get to know me through the interview.” Jacob informs his brother.

 

“Congrats!” Jisoo smiles at him, “I knew you could do it.”

 

“I did too little bro.” Charlie smiles at him, “You just needed to actually try.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Jacob rolls his eyes playfully, he knows his brother does care about him, he’s just goes about it like a mother would.

 

“Well,” Jacob excuses himself from the table, leaving the two lovebirds to plan out their day together, “I’m gonna see if they replied, hopefully I’ll be going to the interview soon.”

 

“Good luck, we’ll be heading out in a few.” His brother yells from the kitchen, “We’ll probably see you later.”

 

“Okay.” Jacob goes back to his desk and wakes his laptop from sleep mode.

 

Sure enough there is an email for him from NCT 2018.

 

He quickly reads it, they have confirmed his suggested time for the interview, as well as letting him know of the exact location. Now all Jacob has to do is make himself look presentable. 

 

He may need to go on a quick shopping trip for some decent clothes he decides, looking in the mirror at his worn out sweats and hoodie. His wardrobe is pretty much consisted of hoodies and sweats, he has like three pairs of jeans, and maybe a few t-shirt, not suitable for a good first impression.

 

Jacob takes a quick shower,  and styles his hair so that his forehead is showing, and throws on his cleanest pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. He grabs his phone and wallet, and heads out the front door for a small shopping trip to find reasonable clothes.

 

Lucky for him, his brother lives a short walk away from one of the larger malls in the city. He walks around for a while, just window shopping till he sees a few things that catch his eye. He tries on a few items, and ends up buying some of them. 

 

Once he has picked out a few shirts, some pants, and a couple of earrings that caught his attention, he decides to look for a pair of shoes to match with what he bought. He goes into the nearest shoe store and manages to find a simple pair of white runners, practical and stylish, and to his luck they were also on sale. He makes his purchase and heads home, stopping at a convenience store for a quick bite to eat.

 

Once he gets home he changes out of his clothes, and puts on the ones he just bought. He checks himself in the mirror, making sure his hair still looks alright, and slips in one of the earrings he bought. They were simple silver hoops, one side had a chain dangling from it. His white shirt looks a bit like a dress shirt, but with shorter sleeves, and a slightly looser fit. He has the front of his shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans. Jacob makes sure to grab the watch his Mum gave him for his birthday a few years ago. He decides that he looks presentable at this point, despite not wearing his contacts, he feels more comfortable with his glasses framing his face anyways. He also think he looks more intelligent that way.

 

Jacob slips on the new white runners, and heads out the door to go to his interview.

 

It takes Jacob a while to get there, almost 30 minutes by bus. The place is located in the industrial area just in the outskirts of the city, resting along the shore by the sea.

 

Jacob hops off the bus, thanks the bus driver, and heads into the building that Lee Taeyong-ssi asked him to meet him at. Once he enters the building a friendly young man greets him.

 

“Hello, what brings you to NCT today?” The man asks, he then introduces himself, “My name is Lee Mark, what can I help you with?”

 

“I’m here to see Lee Taeyong-ssi about an interview?” Jacob informs this Mark person.

 

“Ah, you’re the new hire!” Mark exclaims, “It is nice to meet you.” He offers his hand to Jacob, who politely accepts his handshake, “Taeyong Hyung is just over here.” Mark leads Jacob down a short hallway, he stops in front of the double doors near the end.

 

“He’s right through these doors.” Mark opens the door and gestures to Jacob to enter.

 

Jacob thanks Mark for leading him, and the two part as Jacob enters the room. Inside he finds another young man with silver hair sitting at a large wooden desk, the room, likely Taeyong’s office, is decorated with a nautical theme.

 

“Hello Joonyoung-ssi.” Taeyong stand up, he walks around the desk to greet Jacob, “Pleasure to meet you. I hope you found the place without too much trouble?”

 

“No troubles.” Jacob reassures the man, “You can call me Jacob, Joonyoung is my Korean name.”

 

“Oh?” Taeyong tilts his head in curiosity, he leads Jacob to the more comfortable chairs and gestures for him to sit, “Are you not from Korea?”

 

“No, I’m from Canada, but I’ve lived in Korea for almost four years now.” Jacob replies, taking a seat.

 

“Oh! We have another employee who is also from Canada!” Taeyong smiles at Jacob, “He would have been the one to lead you here, Mark.”

 

“Ah, yes.” Jacob nods.

 

“We have many employees from different parts of the world.” Taeyong explains, “Such as China, Japan, the US, Thailand, Hong Kong, Germany, and of course Canada. You’ll meet everyone once we finish up with the official stuff here. Would you like a drink?” Taeyong offers, “Water? Tea? Coffee?”

 

“Some coffee would be nice, thank you.” Jacob smiles politely.

 

“Doyoung!” Taeyong shouts, and a thin young man with black hair and blue highlights enters the room, “Could you bring us some coffee? You can join us if you like.”

 

“Alright, cookies too?” The man, Doyoung asks.

 

“Of course!” Taeyong replies.

 

Doyoung returns shortly with a tray, he places a cup of hot coffee in front of Jacob, and one in front of Taeyong before placing the tray down (which had cream and sugar for the coffee, and a plate of assorted cookies).

 

Doyoung takes a seat across from Jacob, “Hello, my name is Doyoung, I’m Taeyong’s personal secretary.” He offers Jacob his hand, Jacob shakes his hand, “You must be Joonyoung-ssi?”

 

“Just Jacob is fine.”

 

“Well, Jacob-ssi, It’ll be nice to have a new person on the team.” Doyoung sends him a bright grin, “I was getting tired of looking at the faces of the current employees.”

 

“Doyoung.” Taeyong warns him.

 

“Boss, you know I’m kidding!” Doyoung laughs while Taeyong looks less than pleased.

 

“Apologies for his behaviour,” Taeyong turns to Jacob, apologising in Doyoungs stead, “Unfortunately he’s the least mischievous of the crew…”

 

“How many people are in the crew?” Jacob asks, it’s time to get down to business.

 

“Our team consists of twenty-one people, twenty-two including yourself.” Taeyong explains, “We are split into teams, there’s the mainland team. They manage things here on the mainland which is really important while the Expedition team are out at sea. The mainland team consists of ten people: Hendery, Renjun, Kun, Jeno, Chenle, Jisung, Xiaojun, Yangyang, Taeil, and Ten. We refer to them as Dream team.”

 

Jacob nods, indicating for Taeyong to continue.

 

“The Expedition team consists of two additional teams, the ones who man the boat known as the U team, and the researchers known as the 127 team. I am Captain of the U team as well as the leader of NCT Project 2018, and Doyoung is lead scientist on the 127 team in addition to being my secretary.” Taeyong pauses for a moment, “I hope this all makes sense to you.”

 

“Yep.” Jacob gives Taeyong another nod, “What team would I be on?”

 

“You will be apart of the 127 team, your role will be to translate and compose the English version of our reports. We specifically chose you for this due to you being a writer in addition to having majored in bio-science. We do know that you have not completely finished your studies, but we like to give opportunities to those we think will benefit from them. I think you are one of those people.”

 

Taeyong then goes on to explain what Jacob’s first expedition will be, and what the goal of the project is.

 

“NCT Project 2018 is our current mission, for this mission we will be traveling by boat up to an island just off the mainland. Unfortunately the only knowledge we have of this island is that every couple of years, a passage appears connecting the island to the mainland for a short period of time. This is one of the things that HQ wants us to study, to figure out as much as we can about the phenomenon. Our second mission is to try and find a way to actually access this island, everytime HQ has sent out a team to try and reach the island they failed due to a strange magnetic based field surrounding the island, it seems to prevent anyone from reaching it.”

 

“That is strange…” Jacob comments, “How long will this expedition be?”

 

“Our first trip will take a week. The plan is to return after a week, rest for a while to do experiments with whatever samples we take, maybe test some theories we may formulate, and then return for another week to take more tests and samples based on our primary discoveries. We will repeat as many times as needed till we can figure this island out. Overall each trip to the island will take two weeks as it takes about three days to get there.” Doyoung gives the explanation this time.

 

“Are you up for it?” Taeyong asks, wanting to confirm whether Jacob will take the job or not.

 

“I’ll do it.” Jacob confirms, “When would you like me to start?”

 

“Well, we could do your orientation today, and you can start working tomorrow. We hope to depart three days from now, I apologise for such short notice.”

 

“Great!” Taeyong clasps his hand together, he stands and grabs some papers from on top of his desk. He places them in front of Jacob on the coffee table, he passes Jacob a pen. “I’ll just need you to sign and fill out these papers.”

 

Jacob smiles, taking the pen from Taeyong. He quickly fills out the paper, making sure to thoroughly read the contract before he gives it the final signature.

 

“Okay, you’re all set! Doyoung will show you around and introduce you to the teams while I file these.” Taeyong ushers the two towards the door, “You officially start at nine tomorrow morning. I will see you then!” Taeyong bids Jacob a good day and proceeds to sort out Jacob’s contract and set up his payroll.

 

“This way Jacob-ssi, I’ll show you this building first, this is the main office. It’s where most of the paperwork for the NCT department is handled. Everything else, like human resources, and stuff like that is mostly handled by HQ, you were an exception to that as we needed someone a soon as possible.” Doyoung leads Jacob to the lobby by the entrance, where he can see Mark sitting at the front desk.

 

“Hey Mark.” Doyoung waves to the young male, “I’m gonna be showing Jacob-ssi around, do you wanna explain what you do and stuff?”

 

“Sure.” Mark smiles, “I am a part of the 127 team as the marine biologist. Ah! Taeyong hyung did explain the team system to you right?”

 

“Yep, he did. It looks like we are on the same team.” Jacob affirms.

 

“Cool!” Mark comments in English.

 

“Oh, Taeyong-ssi mentioned you were from Canada as well. Where abouts?” Jacob asks in English.

 

Marks eyes brighten at the mention of Jacob being Canadian, “Oh, you’re Canadian too!? Sweet! I’m from Vancouver, you?”

 

“Toronto.” 

 

“Hey, speak Korean please.” Doyoung wines in broken English.

 

“Ah, sorry.” Jacob smiles sheepishly, now speaking Korean again, “Well, I look forward to working with you Mark-ssi.”

 

“Just Mark is fine. Have fun exploring the place with Doyoung Hyung. I have to get back to preparing for the first expedition, if you’ll excuse me.”

 

Jacob slightly bows as Mark returns to his preparations, he turns to Doyoung.

 

“Okay, so this is the lobby of the main building, there are actually only four buildings on site. The largest one is the one where all the boat repairs, and the Dream team stuff happens. The next largest one is where the laboratories are, where we test samples and the sort. It’s where you are likely to find the rest of 127 team, if we’re not in the cafeteria that is…” Doyoung chuckles while thinking about some sort of inside joke.

 

“Anyways,” He continues, gesturing towards the hall they just came from, “That hall is just a couple of offices, mine, Taeil’s, and Taeyong’s, and a storage room, nothing too important.”

 

Doyoung leads Jacob down the only other hall from the main lobby, “Down here is another office,” He taps on the door as they pass it, “This one is Ten’s office. Just past it, here, is the washrooms.” Jacob notes a small sign indicating that it is a washroom.

 

They reach the end of the hall pretty quickly, to the right is a glass door that has “Meeting Room” etched into the glass. At the actual end of the hall is a set of sliding doors.

 

“I think this one is self explanatory.” Doyoung says, pointing at the door to the meeting room.

 

“Yeah.” Jacob nods.

 

Doyoung opens the sliding doors at the end of the hall, “In here is the cafeteria, as well as the break room.”

 

They enter the room where there are three large, rectangular tables. There are currently three people seated at the end of one of the tables. 

 

To one side of the room is a counter with a chalkboard adjacent to it on the wall, Jacob notices that there is a kitchen just behind the counter, he deduces that one would order their food from that counter. On the other side of the room is a large window with a view of the sea, Jacob can see a building down by the shore, that must be the one with the boats he assumes.

 

“We have a chef that cooks for us, he is apart of Dream team, he also takes care of the radios, and that sort of thing between the boats and here. Kun Hyung! You there?” Doyoung leads Jacob towards the counter. Inside the kitchen is a handsome man with dark brown hair.

 

“Obviously, Doyoung…” Kun answers from inside, he approaches the counter. “Who is this?”

 

“This is Jacob-ssi, 127’s newest addition. The writer I was telling you about yesterday.”

 

“Ah,” Kun bows in greeting, “Nice to meet you Jacob-ssi. My name is Qian Kun, I’m the chef here, as well as the communications manager.”

 

“Hello,” Jacob returns the bow, “I am going to be the writer for the English reports. I look forward to working with you.”

 

“Okay, I’ll see you later Kun Hyung. I’m giving Jacob-ssi a tour, and this is only our first stop.” Doyoung waves to Kun before leading Jacob to where the three men were seated at one of the tables.

 

“-and so I threw him off the dock! His expression was priceless!” Jacob overhears the tallest man telling the one with wide shoulders a story, while the smaller, thinner man has his head on the table, whining about the way the tall one was telling the story.

 

“You did not throw me, I tripped and then you pushed me!” The smaller one protests.

 

“Hey guys.” Doyoung greets the three, interrupting their conversation.

 

“Oh, hey Doyoung!” The wide shouldered one waves at Doyoung.

 

“This is our newest addition to 127.” Doyoung introduces Jacob.

 

“Hello, My name is Bae Jacob.” He greets the three with a bow.

 

“Nice to meet you, Jacob-ssi.” The tallest stands up and bows back, “I’m Johnny Seo, this is Jung Jaehyun,” Johnny gestures towards the wide shouldered man who bows to Jacob, “and this is Ten.” The smaller man waves.

 

“Nice to meet you Jacob-ssi.” Ten smiles, “You’re the writer for our English reports, right?”

 

“Yep, that’s me.”

 

“Cool, I’m one of the Dream team members, I help Kun Hyung with the communications. I am also in charge of the janitorial group, which is technically all of Dream team, we just share the responsibilities.”

 

Jacob nods and smiles, letting Ten know he was listening.

 

“You should take a guess at what team Johnny and Jaehyun Hyung are on!” Ten suggests excitedly.

 

Jacob stares at the two for a moment before speaking, “Uh, I'm gonna have to say U team?” He says this based on the large and muscular build of the two males, it makes sense that those that operate the boats would have more strength than the scientists. Although that is a bit of a stereotype, but Jacob doesn’t have much else to go off of.

 

“Is it that obvious?” Johnny chuckles, “Yeah, we’re team U. I’m the first mate, in ship terms, in no way am I dating Taeyong.” Johnny jokes, “Jaehyun here is our navigator, but all of U team helps to maintain the boats, like fixing them up and all that mechanical sort of stuff.”

 

“I see.” Jacob feels a little relieved that he wasn't wrong about the U team thing.

 

“Jacob-ssi starts tomorrow, so you’ll see him then. I have to finish showing him around. C’mon Jacob-ssi, we still have lots to see!” Doyoung allows Jacob to bid the men a good day before leading him to a glass door, which Jacob didn’t notice before as it blended in with the large windows.

 

Doyoung takes Jacob along the small path that takes them back around to the front of the building where there is a small courtyard that Jacob passed on his way in. They walk across the courtyard to the largest building of the three that surrounded the courtyard, it was also the furthest from the sea.

 

“This is the laboratories.” Doyoung explains leading Jacob inside, where he finds a smaller lobby than the main building, however it is better lit due to the sun roof. The whole ambience of the space has a very clean, sanitized feel to it. Jacob has no doubts that this is the laboratory building.

 

A man with dark purple hair is seated behind the only desk in the lobby, which has numerous computer screens sitting on top, all of them displaying different parts of the grounds. These must be the security camera monitors, Jacob assumes. The man does not seem to be monitoring the screens though, as he is scribbling away on some papers next to him.

 

“Afternoon Taeil Hyung!” Doyoung greets the purple haired man.

 

“Hey Doyoung.” The man, Taeil looks up from his papers, “Oh, are you our newest hire?” He asks tilting his head towards Jacob.

 

“Yes, Hello.” Jacob bows, “Nice to meet you, my name is Bae Jacob.”

 

“Hello Jacob-ssi, I’m Moon Taeil.” Taeil responds, bowing as well.

 

“Taeil here is like the babysitter of Dream team.” Doyoung explains, his tone playful and teasing.

 

“You’re not entirely wrong…” Taeil sighs in agreement, “I am basically in charge of our younger employees, most of them are fresh outta high school, so they need lots of supervision. To make it worse, they’re all geniuses, or prodigies. Which is why they work here without any degrees or anything. They’re currently with Donghyuk and Jungwoo in lab C.”

 

Taeil glances at one of the security monitors, “Shit!” He exclaims, “Doyoung, you’ll have to help me with this one.” Taeil rushes out from behind the desk and runs down to one of the doors labeled “Lab C” beckoning Doyoung to follow.

 

“What are they doing this time?” Doyoung sighs jogging over to lab C, he motions for Jacob to join. They enter a small room with another door on the other side, along the wall are various safety equipments, like lab coats, aprons, and safety glasses. Doyoung passes Jacob a pair of safety glasses and a lab coat.

 

Jacob quickly slips them on and follows Taeil and Doyoung into the next room. Inside he finds himself in a large laboratory, where a bunch of young boys, and two older males are currently trying to do some sort of experiment. However, said experiment was on fire.

 

Taeil ushers the young boys towards the door, allowing for Doyoung and the other two males to take care of the small fire. Jacob helps Taeil in keeping the boys away from the fire, near the entrance just in case the fire gets out of hand.

 

As soon as Doyoung and the two older males have taken care of the fire, he gathers them and begins to scold them about the fire. Taeil joins in to scold them about not wearing the safety equipment, while Jacob awkwardly watches from the side.

 

After what seems like a long time of the boys and the two males being scolded, and once Doyoung seems much calmer, he introduces Jacob to the group.

 

“This is Jacob-ssi, he is the newest addition to team 127.”

 

“Hello, nice to meet you all, I will be translating and writing the English version of the reports.” Jacob explains while greeting each of them.

 

“I’m Donghyuk.” One of the males introduces himself, Jacob gets the impression that Donghyuk is a very confident person, “I am also team 127, I’m the team Chemist.”

 

“My name is Jungwoo, I’m 127’s zoologist.” The other male introduces himself, his voice is as soft as his appearance.

 

Donghyuk takes it upon himself to introduce the boys, “This is Chenle,” The energetic boy with light green hair smiles at Jacob, “He’s Dream team’s second youngest. This is the youngest, Jisung.” The cute, tall boy with peach coloured hair smiles and bows.

 

“I’m Renjun.” The smallest boy chimes before Donghyuk can introduce him, “This here is Jaemin.” The boy with pink hair and an attractive smile nods in greeting, “And this is Jeno.” The handsome, raven haired boy bows politely towards Jacob.

 

“My name is Hendery.” The last of the boys, Hendery, bows just as Jeno did.

 

“Renjun, Jaemin, Jeno, and Hendery are also on Dream team.” Taeil explains, “They do a bit of everything around here, mostly whenever me, Ten, and Kun need an extra hand.”

 

“We’re kind of like trainees, some of us hope to go into one of the other teams in the future, but the Hyungs want us to have more experience first.” Renjun adds.

 

“Make sure you boys clean this up before doing anything else.” Doyoung cuts in before they can chat any longer, “I have to continue showing Jacob-ssi around. Taeil, make sure they have this place spotless.”

 

“Don’t worry Doyoung, I got this” Taeil begins to assign the boys tasks. Meanwhile Doyoung leads Jacob back to the lobby, he shows Jacob where to place the dirty or used lab coats and glasses, so they can be cleaned to prevent contamination of the facility. 

 

Once back in the lobby Doyoung quickly explains that there are five labs in the building, each one is specialized for each of the scientists of the team. He also adds that Jacob will be using the stretch of desk next to the security monitors. He mentions that Taeil usually works in his office, as there are monitors there as well, but that he likes a change of scenery once in a while.

 

“I hope you’re alright with working beside Taeil Hyung occasionally?” Doyoung asks.

 

“Oh, I don’t mind at all.” Jacob reassures Doyoung, it’s the truth to be honest. Taeil seems like a friendly, and easy to get along with sort of person.

 

“Great, let’s head over to the Communications building.” Doyoung takes Jacob to the exit, they cross the courtyard over to the taller building. The communications building was more like a very wide tower, probably only three or four floors tall. They enter the building and Doyoung takes Jacob to the elevator, which was the only thing on the ground floor, aside from a washroom next to it, and a door leading to the stairs.

 

The elevator arrives, and they get on. Doyoung presses the button to the top floor. 

 

“There isn’t much on the second and third floor.” He explains as the elevator moves upwards, “It’s like two small living areas reserved for the Dream team when we need them to work late, or in shifts while we’re on the sea also working. It’s just a couple of beds, and washrooms with showers.”

 

They arrive on the fourth floor and step off of the elevator. The fourth floor is basically one giant room that loops around the centre where the elevator shaft stands. Multiple machines line the walls of the room. 

 

Doyoung leads Jacob around to the half of the tower that faces the ocean. There Jacob finds two boys, one of them is watching one of the machines that has a monitor, it seems to be showing some sort of movement in the sea, the other is staring excitedly out to the sea with binoculars.

 

“Hyung!” The one staring at the machine notices the two, “We have a pod of whales passing by us!” He hands an extra pair of binoculars to Jacob, “You should see this too!”

 

He guides Jacob’s view to where the pod of whales are swimming in the sea. Jacob’s mouth gapes as he spots them. He can see that there is at least seven adult whales, and three smaller, probably baby whales. Jacob giggles as two of the whales jump out of the water and into the air, only to bump into each other mid air and splash back down into the waters.

 

“This doesn’t happen very often. You’re pretty lucky to see this.” The boy who handed Jacob the binoculars says. Jacob lowers the binoculars so he is facing the boy.

 

“Ah!” Doyoung exclaims, remembering why they’re here, “Xiaojun, Yangyang, this is Jacob-ssi. He’ll be joining 127 team for the upcoming expedition.”

 

“Hello Jacob-ssi.” The one who was holding binoculars offers a hand to Jacob, “I’m Yangyang. I help Kun with the communications along with Xiaojun.” Jacob shakes his hand.

 

“Hello, nice to meet you, I’m Xiaojun.” The boy who handed him the binoculars greets him in the same way as Yangyang. Jacob also shakes his hand.

 

“Yes, nice to meet you as well.”

 

“Okay, sorry to cut this short, but the sooner I finish showing Jacob-ssi around the sooner I get to go home. Same goes for Jacob-ssi.” Doyoung bids the two goodbye, and Jacob does the same.

 

“Alright,” Doyoung leads Jacob back down the elevator, and outside the building, “Our last stop, the boat docks and repair building.”

 

He leads Jacob to a small shed like building, inside are a few golf cart type vehicles.

 

“We’ll take one of these down to the docks, it’s not a long walk, but these are easier, and faster.” Doyoung hops behind the wheel and motions for Jacob to sit beside him, “Hop on!”

 

Jacob climbs onto the seat next to Doyoung and the two set off towards the large building just on the shore. It takes them less than a minute to drive down the slightly sloped road that leads to the sea. Doyoung parks the vehicle just next to the entrance to the building.

 

“Right this way.” Doyoung hops off the cart and leads Jacob through the doors. 

 

The inside of this building is very plain, just by the entrance is a small room with a couple of lockers, it looks like a changing room to Jacob. They continue down the small hallway till they reach the end, passing a washroom, and some sort of office along the way. Doyoung opens the door at the end of the hall, entering a large area that resembles a garage. Except this garage has channels of water with boats floating on them. To the far right of the building is a very large boat, the lettering on the side reads “NCT Voyager”. 

 

“That must be Taeyong-ssi’s boat.” Jacob thinks.

 

“Yep, that’s our mothership, at least, that’s what Taeyong Hyung calls it.” Oh, Jacob must’ve said that aloud.

 

In total there are five boats inside the building. One of the boats, the central most one has a group of three men who seem to be repairing the boat. Well, two of them are working, the other one seems to be chatting with them.

 

Doyoung heads over to a set of stairs to the left of the platform they are currently standing on, Jacob follows as Doyoung heads towards the three men.

 

“How are repairs going?” Doyoung calls out to the three.

 

“Almost done, Xuxi, pass me the- thanks.” One of them replies, as tallest of the three passes him some sort of tool, “Aaaaand, Done!”

 

The man stands up passes the tool back to the tall man, Xuxi, and wipes his hands on his overalls. The three hop off the boat and approach Jacob and Doyoung.

 

“Oh, hey!” Xuxi smiles while looking at Jacob, “You must be the writer? I’m Lucas, or Yukhei, or Xuxi, I’ll respond to any of those.” He offers Jacob his hand, they shake.

 

“Nice to meet you Lucas-ssi.” Jacob replies, choosing to just use the first name the man gave him, “I’m Bae Jacob, and yes, I am the writer.”

 

“Sweet.”

 

“Hello, Jacob-ssi.” The one who had been repairing the boat greeted Jacob with a handshake, “My name is Nakamoto Yuta, I’m one of the mechanics in U team, along with Xuxi here.”

 

“Nice to meet you.”

 

“I’m Dong Sicheng, 127’s meteorologist.” The smaller of the three introduces himself, “You can also call me Winwin if you prefer.”

 

“Hello, Sicheng-ssi, Yuta-ssi, and Lucas-ssi. I look forward to working with you.” Jacob gives them a curt bow.

 

“This is the indoor docks and garage for the boats we have.” Doyoung gives Jacob a short explanation of the building, “Like a garage, if we wanna take a boat out onto the sea, we just open those doors.” Doyoung gestures towards the longest wall opposite them. It indeed was comprised of numerous doors.

 

Jacob nods.

 

“There’s not much else to show you, just that under the platform,” Doyoung points to underneath where they came in, Jacob can see a row of offices, “Those are U teams offices.”

 

“End of the tour?” Yuta asks.

 

“Yep, Jacob will officially start tomorrow, so you guys will see him then.” Doyoung waves to Yuta, Lucas, and Sicheng, “Alright Jacob-ssi, let’s get you home. We have a long three days ahead of us.”

 

Doyoung takes Jacob on the cart back to the courtyard, he drops him off just at the bus station. He waits with Jacob till the bus pulls up.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow Jacob-ssi, I think we’ll have a great time working together!” Doyoung smiles brightly.

 

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow, Doyoung-ssi.” Jacob bids the man a good evening and hops on the bus, heading home.

 

As soon as Jacob arrives home, he notices that his brother isn’t there.

 

“I wonder if it went well?” He wonders aloud.

 

Just then his phone vibrates, notifying him of a text.

 

He unlocks his phone and reads the message, it’s his brother.

 

———

**Charlie**

I won't be back tonight, don’t stay up waiting

 

**Jacob**

Went well I take it?

 

**Charlie**

She said yes!!!!!!

 

**Jacob**

Congrats brother! Have fun you two lovebirds!

 

**Charlie**

Thanks, see you tomorrow bro <3

 

**Jacob**

Okay <3

———

 

Jacob shuts his screen off and puts his phone back into his pocket.  _ It’s pretty late _ , he thinks while looking at the clock,  _ If I have to get up and be there for 9AM then I should try to sleep early. _ With that, Jacob readies himself for bed, excited, and nervous for his first day of work.

 

Jacob’s mind wanders a bit while he lays in bed, staring at his ceiling. He goes over the day in his mind, thinking back to all the people he will be working with. They all seemed really close to each other, Jacob wonders if he’ll be able to fit into their dynamics. 

 

His last thoughts as he drifts off:  _ I hope I can find people who care about me as much as they seem to care for each other. I hope I can find a place where I belong… _

 


	3. A Journey Gone Wrong (did It really...?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I managed to finish another Chapter.
> 
> I hope you all have had, and are having a great week (even if you do not celebrate Christmas), and I wish you all a Happy New year.
> 
> Thank you so much to those of you who have showed support so far, I appreciate it so much! \^.^/
> 
> Please feel free to leave comments, feedback, kudos, anything of the like.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter, and look forward to the next!
> 
> P.S. I now have someone editing my stuff (huge thanks to my best friend, Leon <3), so I have re-uploaded the previous chapters. The content is more or less the same, but it should be a tad easier to read, and hopefully the general quality will improve as I continue.

Jacob’s first day of work goes… well… much as one would expect in the company of 21 young men, it was certainly a busy day.

 

Jacob spent the whole day helping to organize and prepare for their trip; much of that included helping carry some of the equipment they’ll need, and assisting Doyoung and Kun while they shopped for food supplies. He also attended a meeting with team 127, in addition to Johnny, Taeyong, and Taeil to review the reports from the previous expedition to this island, which was lead by a group who referred to themselves as Exo.

 

Jacob returned home that day absolutely exhausted, he barely had enough energy to wash up before collapsing on his bed.

 

The next day was very similar, except his efforts were more focused on loading the boat with all the supplies they bought the previous day. Luckily they finished a few hours earlier than yesterday, and Taeyong allowed everyone to leave work early so that they may pack their personal belongings. Jacob does just that.

 

When Jacob awakes the morning of the expedition, he is buzzing with excitement, despite having to wake up at 4 in the morning. By the time he arrives at his workplace it is almost 6 AM, and Taeyong is standing at the top of the slope next to the cart shed.

 

“Morning Jacob!” Taeyong greets Jacob with a cheerful smile, “Ready to go? Everyone is already at the docks.”

 

“Morning Taeyong Hyung.” Jacob returns the greeting (despite having only known him a few days, Taeyong asked if they could drop the formalities, to which Jacob agreed) “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

Taeyong and him hop into one of the carts and head down the slope towards the docks. Once there they park the cart and enter the building, down the hall, down the stairs and towards the NCT Voyager.

 

As they step onto the deck of the boat, Taeyong turns to Jacob, “Do you wanna go put your stuff in your room first? We’ll meet you up on the top deck, then we’ll depart.”

 

“Alright, I’ll be up in a few.” Jacob nods as he heads inside the boat. He takes the stairs downwards, retracing the route that Johnny had shown him when he had given Jacob a tour of the boat. He headed towards his quarters. After unlocking the door, and placing his stuff on the bed he would be using, Jacob quickly heads up to the top deck.

 

Once up there he greets the men he will be spending the next few days with, team 127 and team U. Although, team U is in the covered part of the top deck, the helm.

 

“Let’s get this boat rocking!!!” Mark shouts after greeting Jacob.

 

“Oi! Don’t forget to say bye to the Dreamies.” Taeyong shouts from the helm.

 

Haechan skips over to the front of where the helm sits, Jacob and the others follow.

 

“Bye Dreamies!” Haechan waves enthusiastically, leaning over the railing.

 

Down below, on the dock, are all of Dream team, all waving, but looking a bit less enthusiastic. Jacob wonders if a few of them will go to the beds in the Comm tower as he waves back.

 

“Be careful!” They hear Taeil shout.

 

“We will.” Sicheng and Doyoung reply in unison.

 

Jacob can feel the moment the boat departs from the docks, there is a slight jerk, very slight, but he can feel it nonetheless. He feels his stomach churn a bit,  _ Nervousness? _ He wonders,  _ I hope it’s not sea sickness... _

 

The NCT Voyager carefully makes its way out of the docks, the large door opening just before they reached the exit.

 

As they begin to glide across the open waters Jacob stays on deck, while the others go to do their own thing. Team U is currently working, as they should be, none of team 127 really know how to operate the vessel. 

 

Haechan and Mark are the last to leave the upper deck, “C’mon Mark.” Haechan pulls at Marks sleeve, “Let’s go sleep some more, you look as tired as I feel.”

 

Jacob hears Mark mumble something in reply, and the two go down to where their quarters lay to catch some more sleep.

 

Jacob makes his way over to the side of the upper deck that faces the now rising sun. He stands there watching the sun rise, leaning against the rail for support. He stares across the waters, which are reflecting the light of the sun, making the sea appear to be made of gold. Seagulls drift across the small, but turbulent waves created by the movement of the boat. Jacob can smell the saltiness of the sea, he doesn’t find the smell pleasant, but in a way he feels calmer than when they set off. His stomach has stopped churning.  _ I was probably just nervous _ , he thinks to himself.

 

Jacob stays like that for a while, leaning against the rail and staring out into the sea, till his peaceful moment is interrupted by a voice.

 

“Hey.” The man greets him, Jacob turns to see Jungwoo holding two mugs, “I made some coffee, would you like one?”

 

“Thanks.” Jacob gives Jungwoo a grateful smile, he takes the cup.

 

Jungwoo proceeds to join Jacob as they stare at the view together, “This is my favourite part about our expeditions.” Jungwoo comments, his voice soft as though he were almost whispering.

 

Jacob hums in inquiry.

 

“Watching the sunrise on the morning of departure.” Jungwoo, shrugs, “I guess it’s like a good omen. Seeing the sunrise is like seeing a shooting star, for me anyways.”

 

“Well, with how beautiful it is, I’m sure we’ll have great luck with our journey.” Jacob nods his head. He’s not a very superstitious person, but occasionally he’ll do things like wishing on shooting stars, or making a wish as he blows out the candles on a cake. So he makes a quick wish;  _ Whatever is making me feel like there is something missing, I wish to find out why. _

 

“Jungwoo Hyung!” Jacob and Jungwoo turn to the loud voice, it’s Lucas. “Come here! You gotta see this!”

 

“Okay! Jungwoo shouts back, making Jacob jump slightly in surprise, he never thought Jungwoo could be loud, apparently he was wrong, “Ah, it was nice talking to you Jacob-ssi.”

 

“You as well.” Jacob replies, and the two awkwardly bow to each other before Jungwoo heads off to go see why Lucas called for him. Jacob is left alone on deck once again, he stays till he has finished his coffee before heading inside to see what the others are up to.

 

* * *

 

Throughout the next few days as they make their way towards the island, Jacob finds himself alone often. It isn’t due to the others ignoring him, rather they are the ones to go looking for him if he is gone for longer than fifteen minutes. He just finds staring at the view alone to be calming, but he also has this feeling that there’s something out there calling to him. Luckily that feeling has a slight satisfaction to it, as if they are heading towards whatever is creating this feeling. 

 

Sometimes, as team 127 seems to be very carefree at the moment, largely due to not having anything to do till they get to the island, Jacob will come to his favourite spot on the ship. Here he likes to quietly strum the strings of his guitar, simply stringing notes together in attempt to create a new and interesting tune.

 

His favourite spot is on one of the lower decks, on a small stretch of covered deck near the front of the ship. The reason he chose to hang here compared to the rest of the ship is due to it being near the laboratories, which aren’t in use, meaning that it is probably the quietest part of the ship. Just inside the door leading to the deck, is a small break room, one that Jacob has put to good use as he fills his cup with coffee every time he comes to sit here. He stares into the ocean, each and every time, he sighs, watching the spanse of waves in front of him as they travel forth.

 

It is on the last day before they are expected to arrive that the crew faces a choice. 

 

That morning there is an air of excitement as they all wake up, and head to the room where they have their daily meetings. Today they had it over an early lunch, however, the mood soon turns when they receive contact from Taeil.

 

“You’ll need to take caution as you approach the island. Our reports from nearby islands say that a storm has overtaken the islands, I’m sure you can see this from your meteorological readings. 

 

The storm should calm down by the time you reach the island, but that doesn’t mean you can slack off. You should prepare regardless.” The males listen as Taeil speaks, his voice slightly distorted as it sounds from the speaker on the satellite phone.

 

“Thank you Taeil Hyung, we will proceed with caution.” Taeyong reassures the lead of team dream, “Please keep us updated on the storm, we will also make sure to keep an eye on it.”

 

“Okay, I will call again later today to check in. Bye.” The phone beeps as Taeil cuts the connection.

 

Taeyong lets out a loud sigh, “Sicheng, I’ll need you to report to me every hour on the current weather situation. I’ll have to increase that as we near the island, so be prepared for that. Jungwoo, and Doyoung, I want you to assist Sicheng. The rest of you will help team U with preparing the ship, Johnny, I trust you know what I mean.”

 

“Yes, Captain.” Johnny nods firmly.

 

“Alright. if any of you need myself, or Jaehyun, we’ll be in the helm trying to see if we can find a better route, hopefully avoiding the storm. You are all dismissed.”

 

As soon as Taeyong concluded the meeting, the men got to work. Sicheng, Jungwoo, and Doyoung headed to the labs to do some tests and weather readings. Taeyong and Jaehyun headed up to the helm, whilst Johnny began to give orders. 

 

Jacob did as he was instructed, which was for him to go around all the rooms on the lower decks with Mark, and check that the belongings and valuables of the crew were safely secured. They also had to make sure that all the food in the kitchen was properly stored, and that any machines, such as their coffee maker, were secured either on the counter, or in a cupboard.

 

* * *

 

As the day went on, Jacob could feel the effects of the oncoming storm. He found himself having to shift his weight every now and then to regain his balance. Jacob stumbled a few times as the sun began to descend from the sky, moving closer to the horizon. 

 

There was an uneasy feeling in Jacob’s stomach as the waves began to grow larger, slowly rocking the ship from side to side. Luckily the last stop on his and Marks duties was the infirmary.

 

Just as they were finishing up in the infirmary, Jacob made sure to grab something to help calm his stomach, and a couple more just in case. He knew it was going to be a long night ahead of him, and wanted to prepare for that as well.

 

“Attention.” Taeyong’s voice sounded through the ship as he made an announcement through the speaker systems, “Could all crew members please report to the meeting room in five minutes, Thank you.”

 

“Ah…” Mark shrugs, “We may as well head up there now, nothing else to do for five minutes.” Mark suggests just as he closes the last cabinet with a click.

 

“Sounds like a good plan.” Jacob motions towards the door, “After you Mark-ssi.”

 

“Thank you.” Mark thanks the elder and the two head up to the meeting room.

 

They arrive to find that most of the crew is already up there, save for Yuta who is helping Sicheng secure some of his equipment, and Doyoung, who will be over soon with their dinner. 

 

Mark walks up to Johnny, and Jacob takes a seat as the younger reports their progress. Johnny dismisses Mark with a smile, and a pat on the head. 

 

It doesn’t take much longer till all of the crew has gathered, and each of them dig into their meals as Taeyong instructed that they will talk business once they have eaten. It was a simple meal, most of the crew not having had time to cook anything substantial, just a variety of sandwiches and drinks.

 

They all finish till they have had their fill, and the official business commences.

 

“We have found a route that suggests a break in the storm, where the sea is to be calmer according to Sichengs findings. We will approach with great caution, meaning a slower pace than we were previously going. I expect we will arrive a day later than originally planned. Our road ahead will not be as kind as the one we have been experiencing, but we still need our strength.

 

Your shifts will be rotational, half of team 127 and half of team U are required to be alert till the end of their shift, from there the other half of each team will take their place. 

 

We will repeat this every eight hours, so spend your resting time wisely.” Taeyong explains to the crew as to their next course of action, “First shift will be,Johnny, Jaehyun, Lucas, Mark, Jacob, and Haechan. The rest of you are dismissed for the next eight hours. Johnny, give your orders.”

 

Those who were not called, immediately got up and left the room, likely headed to their quarters to get some sleep. Jacob and those who were called, received their next instructions.

 

* * *

 

 

As the sun began to disappear from the sky, so did their ability to move as quickly as they were. Jacob was stationed in the helm, along with Jaehyun, assisting him with whatever tasks needed doing.

 

There was not much longer till they were able to trade off with the other half of the crew, but Jacob had been needing to use the toilet for the past hour, and he wasn’t sure he could wait another hour. Fortunate for him, the waves seem to have calmed a bit, so now would be his best opportunity to go to the restroom.

 

“Jaehyun-ssi, would it be alright if I go to the restroom quickly, I’m not sure if I can wait till our shift ends…” Jacob asked the man.

 

“Alright,” Jaehyun replied after a short moment, “but be quick, this calm will not last. Soon the storm will be more fierce, so please hurry.”

 

“Thank you.” Jacob gave Jaehyun a curt bow, and rushed down to the restrooms a level below the helm.

 

Jacob was washing his hands when he felt it, he was sharply thrown to one side. Jacob gasped upon contact with the floor, and he scrambled to his feet, grabbing the nearest thing to keep him steady. He had to return to the helm, and soon. Jaehyun was right about the storm growing fiercer, so Jacob would have to be careful as he made his way up to the helm.

 

To reach it, Jacob had to use the stairs on deck, so he headed out. As soon as he opened the door to the deck, the wind almost swept him off his feet, he grasped the rail next to him, and struggled to close the door. Eventually he managed, leaving him still on the deck, clinging to the rail. He made his way towards the stairway, never letting his hands leave the rail. This task became more and more difficult as it began to pour, it also didn’t help that the waves of the sea were splashing up onto the deck.

 

“This was the calmest route!?” Jacob yells to no one in particular. He was alone out here, and that made him all the more determined to reach the helm safely. He had no other option but to go there, as he could not return the way he came. He was closer to the helm than the door he had opened, so onward was his best option.

 

He managed to reach the stairs, but climbing them would be his biggest task. The waves had grown stronger as he approached the stairway. This had not helped in the slightest, rather he was beginning to feel queasy, the medicine he had taken earlier must’ve worn off.  _ Oh god _ , Jacob groans as he leaned his head over the side of the rail. His stomach empties its contents into the raging waters below.

 

Once he determines that his stomach is no longer able to empty any more, he takes a couple of steps upwards. 

 

_ Not again _ , Jacob whimpers, leaning over the rail again, except, he was less careful, he leaned too far. Jacob slipped from the stairs, on his way down he managed to grasp onto the rail, barely able to hold onto its slippery surface.

 

“Jacob!!! Hold on!” Jacob hears a voice call out. He looks up to see Taeyong in a bright yellow raincoat, making his way down the stairs, clinging onto the rail just as Jacob had.

 

“Help!” Jacob manages to yelp.

 

“Hold on!” Taeyong shouts as he nears, “I’m coming!”

 

Just as Taeyong reached out his hand to Jacob, it was like a scene from a movie. Only, Jacob was experiencing it, and it was most definitely his reality. Lightning shot across the sky, lighting the seas for a quick moment, before the thunder soon followed. 

 

It was then he lost his grasp, he had felt Taeyong’s fingertips brush his own, and he plunged into the raging waters below. He could hear Taeyong scream as he fell.

 

“JACOB! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

The sea threw Jacob around, and he struggled to surface, to get some air. Once he did, he realized he was no longer near the ship. The sea dragged him under yet again, and as before, he used all his strength to reach the surface for air. Each time he was able to surface the waves, he was being thrown further and further from the ship.

 

On his last attempt to fight a battle against the waters, he could no longer see the lights that would be coming from the ship. Jacob was once again thrown back into the salty waters of the sea, this time he could no longer find the strength to fight. He allowed the seas to swallow him into their dark abyss.

 

_ Please let the others be alright. Please don’t let this be how I die. Please, I wasn’t able to find a place where I belonged, give me another chance _ . Jacob pleaded his last thoughts before the darkness took over his entire being.

 

* * *

 

Gulls screeched, and waves crashed against the shore, sending a salty spray through the air landing on his face.

 

_ Wait, shore!? _

 

Jacob turns to the side as his body heaves, coughing up all the water and grime that he had inhaled. He falls back onto the sand as his coughing ceases.

 

Jacob pries his eyes open, only to quickly shut them again from the bright light of the sun.

  
He flops onto his belly, and drags his body further onto the sand. It's a great struggle, as his limbs feel like they are on fire, and he can barely move them. However he still manages to drag himself until his feet are no longer submerged in the water.   
  
He lies there gasping for breath, trying once more to open his eyes.   
  
He's able to open them, slightly, but open them nonetheless. He is met with a very blurred view of a beach , and...  _ Wait, what's that? _

 

A dark figure approaches him,  _ It’s a person! _ Jacob feels himself fill with relief at the sight of another person.

 

“Help… Please…!” Jacob barely manages to gasp out as the person stops next to him and crouches down. His throat burned raw from inhaling salty water, causing his voice to be extremely hoarse, almost inaudible.

 

However, the person must’ve heard him, as he feels himself being hoisted onto the back of a strong man. The man begins to carry Jacob further away from the sea, and through the trees that line the shore.

 

“Thank you…” Jacob whispers, “Thank…..you………”

 

Unfortunately, Jacob can no longer fight off his weariness, and he slips back into unconsciousness.

 

_ I will be okay… I will be okay... _


End file.
